Lilia
by TitansRule
Summary: Lilia Evangeline Angell has a surprise for Don Flack on Father's Day. A surprise that's related to her mother, but is that even possible? This is a stand-alone oneshot about enduring love, unforgotten promises and a very special young girl.


**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY. I do own Lilia.  
Series: None.  
Spoilers: None - minor for _Pay Up_, I suppose.**

**This is dedicated to the real Lilia, although she's not even one yet, so I doubt she'll be reading it, but I was holding her when inspiration struck. Oh, and I know Father's Day is on a Sunday, but I needed it one a Wednesday for the story to work, so go with it.**

* * *

**Lilia**

In the months following Jessica Angell's death, Don Flack was often asked how he was coping so well and he would always answer with two words.

"Lilia Evangeline."

It was an unusual name to say the least and the reactions were mixed; some confused, some silently judgmental and some – those who leapt to the correct confusion – stiflingly sympathetic.

"_Oh, the poor man." _He could almost hear them say. _"Left to raise their child all by himself."_

He never told them that Lilia wasn't actually his daughter.

Lilia Evangeline Angell was the result of a short-lived romance between Jess and her high school sweetheart. Born when they were just 19, her father had signed away all parental responsibility before going to college in Sacramento, never to see his daughter or her mother again.

No one at the precinct had known about Lilia while Jess was alive. In fact, Don had only known for a few months.

When Lilia was five-years-old, she had vanished from her day-care; the supervisor insisted that her grandmother had collected her, but, with Jess's mother oblivious, that obviously wasn't the case.

Late at night, Don could still hear Jess's halting sobs as she told him the story, every parent's worse nightmare unfolding in front of him.

She'd never mentioned her daughter again and, after she was killed, he was ashamed to admit, he didn't spare a thought for the missing girl.

Until one day, almost three months after Jess's death, a CPS worker had arrived at the precinct, nervous eight-year-old in tow.

Don had known at a glance that the child was Jess's daughter; Lilia was the spitting image of her mother.

Apparently, it had been her paternal grandmother who had collected her, convinced that Jess was keeping her son from his daughter. Even after he had explained that he wanted nothing to do with the child, she had kept her, believing that Jess couldn't be a cop and a mother.

With a heavy heart, he'd taken the social worker aside and explained, seeing the wheels turning in her head.

And, at the same time, Jess's voice floated into his. _"If something happens to me – Listen to me! – If something happens to me … before they find her … promise me you won't let them send her to strangers. Please, Don."_

"I'll take her." Don found himself saying, before he could think about it.

It took a lot of time and a lot of paperwork, but eventually Don was the legal guardian of an eight-year-old who would become his saving grace.

Just like her mother, Lilia was able to put a smile on anyone's face on even the worst of days. She forced him to remember Jess, when he wanted to forget, because her memories of her mother were fading fast. He spent hours telling her about her, until her memory no longer hurt but made him smile as well.

One of the few things she had remembered was her mother's pet-name for her; the first time he'd shortened her name to 'Lil' was the first time her smile had faltered.

"Mommy used to call me that." She'd whispered, a tear making its way down her cheek.

Don had stopped what he was doing and given her a hug, silently promising not to call her that, to leave her with something that was solely associated with her mother.

After that, he used her middle name, something that made both of them laugh, because he shortened it to Angel.

Today was Father's Day, a day that used to be just another day, except he'd made an effort to phone home.

But now, it was different.

Their first Father's Day could have been awkward, but he'd woken up to find that Lilia had managed to get Stella to come over and help her make breakfast for him.

"This was all her idea." The CSI had told him with a grin, before disappearing out the door.

"What's all this for then?" Don had asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Lilia climbed onto his lap and nestled against him. "It's Father's Day. I love you, Daddy."

His throat had constricted embarrassingly as he kissed her head. "I love you too, Angel."

This morning, he kept his eyes closed, even as the smell of pancakes wafted in from the kitchen.

His bedroom door opened and closed softly. "Dad …"

Don didn't respond, hearing her giggle at the familiar game.

"Dad …" This time her voice was closer.

Don still didn't move, waiting until her footsteps told him she was right ...

"Dad!"

Don's arms shot out and pulled his daughter down with him, causing her to shriek with laughter as he tickled her.

"Daddy!" Lilia protested through her giggles. "Stop!"

Don did as he was told, kissing her forehead. "Morning, Angel."

"Morning, Dad." Lilia smiled. "I made breakfast."

"Mmm, I can smell that." Don grinned. "A'right, you're gonna need to get off my legs so I can get up."

As she did, he realised that she was a lot bouncier than she normally was in the mornings, which either meant she was keeping a very big secret or she'd already eaten a jar of maple syrup.

"Please let it be the first one." Don groaned. "She's a nightmare on a sugar-high."

"Dad!" Lilia called again from the kitchen.

Don pulled a shirt on. "Coming, sweetheart." He joined her in the kitchen to find a stack of pancakes waiting on the counter with bacon and coffee; he was sure that Stella – or possibly someone else – had already been and gone, because Lilia knew that she wasn't allowed to use the stove yet on her own. "Looks good." He glanced at the clock, taking a sip of coffee. "You're gonna be late for school."

"It's okay." Lilia told him with a bright smile. "Hannah's mom told me she'd give me a ride in this morning. First …" She rummaged in one of the drawers and placed a candle in the stack of pancakes. "Make a wish."

Don chuckled. "It's not my birthday, Lilia."

"Please, Dad!" Lilia begged. "For me."

Don chuckled fondly and found a lighter in one of the drawers. "Alright." He lit the candle and slipped the lighter away, before closing his eyes and blowing the flame out again. _I wish Jess was here to see this._

"What did you wish for?" Lilia asked eagerly.

"What I always do." Don answered with a sad smile.

Lilia gave him a hug. "I wish Mom was here too." She whispered.

Don kissed her forehead as the door buzzer went. "That's probably Hannah's mom." He went to the window and looked out, seeing the woman standing on the street next to her car. He returned her wave and turned back to see Lilia standing by the door, already wearing her school-bag. "Have a good day, Angel."

"I will." Lilia hugged him and kissed his cheek.

Don opened the door for her. "Remember …"

"Don't talk to strangers, wait for you to pick me up, you'll call the school if you can't make it, but you're not on the late shift." Lilia listed. "I know. I love you, Dad."

"Love you too."

Lilia paused in the doorway with a grin. "I love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Lil." A soft voice responded.

In the time it took the door to close, Don swore that his heart stopped and the air seemed to freeze around him.

"How …?"

"Sometimes wishes come true." A hand landed on his left shoulder and slid down across his chest as a soft body pressed up against his back.

Don glanced down, seeing a familiar tattoo around her wrist. He grasped it gently and turned around to see the woman he thought he'd lost over a year ago. "Jess?"

Jess nodded, a sad smile on her face. "I'm so sorry, Don." Before he could blink, her arms were around his neck and her face was buried in his chest. "God, I'm so sorry."

Don wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close, needing tangible proof that she was really there. "Jess …"

He was crying, he realised as he tilted her face up, but it was alright, because she was crying too and their tears mingled on their faces as he kissed desperately.

"I love you." He murmured as he pulled away. "I love you so much. How …?"

"It's a long story." Jess guided him into the kitchen. "Eat your pancakes."

Don grimaced. "Er, I don't know how to tell you this, Jess, but … your daughter can't cook." He caught himself from saying 'my' or even 'our', still unsure as to how she'd react.

"First of all, _our_ daughter," Jess smiled at him, "does her best and secondly, I made them."

"Oh." Don sat down. "That's alright then. Now how are you alive?"

"Well, the FBI …" Jess began, but he cut her off with a groan and she laughed. "I know. Everybody's favourite federal agency. Apparently, one of the people who was involved in my shooting was linked with one of their big fish and, since I was shot after I went down, they figured there was a chance I was a hit, not collateral damage. So they told the hospital to lie and tell you all I was dead and moved me to one of their facilities where they …"

"Nursed you back to health." Don finished. "That can't've taken that long."

"It didn't." Jess admitted. "When I woke up, they asked me to do an undercover job for them."

"Why didn't you turn it down?" Don asked, trying not to sound an irritated as he was.

"Did I say 'asked me'?" Jess asked in response. "I meant 'told me'. They told me to do an undercover job; talked to Chief Sinclair and he agreed. I thought you knew I was alright … I thought …"

"Hey." Don reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "It's okay. No harm, no foul, right?"  
Jess sighed. "Wish I could believe that. I got a call saying that the op had been called; I could go home. But Sinclair wanted to see me …"

Don checked his watch again. "When was this?"

"Two days ago." Jess answered.

"Two days?" Don repeated. "Where the hell were you?"

Jess smirked. "I think the question should be: Where the hell was Lilia two days ago?"

"At school." Don frowned. "Where else would she be?"

"Well, I reached Sinclair's office," Jess continued, not answering the question, "and his secretary – Valerie? – She told me that he'd just stepped out and to wait in the office. I'd barely closed the door behind me when I got hit by a ten-year-old missile …"

Don's mouth dropped open. "She was … I swear, Jess, I took her in myself that morning …"  
Jess chuckled. "I know. We had an … interesting conversation …"

_Jess couldn't make out much of the child's ramblings, just, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy ..." and she forced herself to pry the girl out of her arms to take a better look at her. "Oh my … Lilia?"  
Her daughter smiled at her through tears. "Hi Mommy."_

_Feeling her own tears start to form, Jess pulled her back into an embrace. "Oh, Lil, I missed you so much. Where were you?"_

"_With my other grandma." Lilia pulled a face. "She didn't think you'd be a very good mom because you were a cop, but I kept telling her you were the best mom in the whole world. And then the police found me and they told us you were dead and I went to live with Dad."_

"_Dad wanted you back?" Jess asked, almost immediately wishing the words hadn't left her mouth. She'd always tried not to badmouth her ex in front of their daughter, but she'd never seen anyone move so fast as he had when she told him she was pregnant._

"_Not that dad." Lilia told her. "My other dad."_

_Now Jess was very confused. "Who do you mean, sweetheart? And shouldn't you be in school?"_

"_She came to talk to me, Detective."_

_Jess straightened up to face Chief Sinclair. "Chief." She glanced down at her daughter. "Why did Lilia want to talk to you?"_

"_She seemed to be under the impression that I could raise the dead." Sinclair answered, taking a seat behind his desk._

"_Well, our teacher was helping us think Father's Day presents," Lilia explained, "and Hannah said that her dad wanted a new fishing rod, because that's what he wished for on his birthday. But Dad never wished for anything like that. He always said "I wish your mom was here." So I tried to find you."_

"_Detective Flack took Lilia in after CPS found her." Sinclair explained. "Calls her Angel for some reason."_

"_It's short for Evangeline." Lilia explained. "He used to call me Lil, but then I told him that's what you call me and he didn't wanna take that from you."_

"_He's Dad?" Jess guessed. "Is he a good dad?"_

"_The best." Lilia grinned. "Can we surprise him, Mom, please? It's only a few days."_

_Jess hesitated. On the one hand, she wanted to see Don again as soon as possible. But, on the other, there was little she could do to resist the pleading look on her daughter's face. "Oh, alright then. But you have to keep it a secret. Now why aren't you in school?"_

_Lilia's smile shifted to a guilty expression and Jess sighed, not sure whether she should be annoyed that she'd skipped or impressed that her ten-year-old daughter had the guts to visit Chief Sinclair, something even the most seasoned detectives avoided._

"_Valerie can take her back." Sinclair offered. "We have a … problem to discuss."_

"It's a good job I took him up on that." Jess finished. "I nearly hit him when he told me you didn't know."

Don moved around the table to sit next to her, pulling her into his arms. "It's okay." He murmured into her hair. "It's okay. Why did Lilia think you were alive?"

"She didn't." Jess sighed. "Apparently, she asked someone at school what 'dead' meant and they told her it meant I'd gone away for a very long time."

"And if you go away, you can come back again." Don nodded. "I get it."

How long they sat there, he didn't know, but after a while, she pressed a kiss against his neck. Then another. Then another.

"Jess …"

"I missed you." She whispered against his skin. "Lil won't be home for another couple of hours."

"Mmm, good point." Don couldn't help smiling as she pulled away and stood up, pulling him up with her. "But the breakfast's gonna get cold." He couldn't help the déjà vu that swept over him and, judging by the smirk on her face, neither could she.

Jess tugged his mouth down to hers. "I have a better idea for a wake-up call."

* * *

If it weren't for Jess's presence when he arrived at the crime scene, Don was fairly sure Mac would have killed him, given how late her 'wake-up call' had made him.

But she was there and he didn't and, at half past three, Don and Jess strolled through the gates of Lilia's school.

It was no surprise that no one paid any attention to them, but one woman, pushing a double-buggy with another child in tow, made a beeline for them.

"Hey, Miranda." Don greeted. "Thanks for taking Lilia this morning."

"You're welcome." Miranda Roberts was a constantly tired mother-of-four and her oldest child, Hannah, had been Lilia's best friend ever since they met.

"Jess, this is Hannah's mom, Miranda." Don added. "Miranda, this is Jessica Angell, Lilia's mom."

Neither detective was surprised when Miranda looked as though she'd seen a ghost. "I … I thought you … I mean, didn't …"

Jess held up her badge. "I was doing an undercover op for the FBI." She explained, pulling a face. "Feds. Can't live with 'em can't walk way from 'em."

"Mommy!" Lilia sprinted over, throwing herself into Jess's arms. Don wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.

"Hey, Lil." Jess kissed her forehead. "Good day?"

"Uh huh." Lilia grinned. "But the teacher thinks I'm crazy."

"I don't think you're crazy, Lilia." A female voice chided from behind her.

"Ms Tilbury." Don greeted. "What's the problem?"

Lilia's teacher was quite an elderly lady, who didn't look like she should be able to handle thirty rambunctious children every day. She wore her glasses on a chain around her neck and they were constantly falling off her nose. At Don's query, she sighed heavily and lowered her voice. "Detective, I understand that losing a parent is a difficult thing for any child to face, but Lilia keeps telling people that …"

Don chuckled. "I think I know the problem. This is Jessica, Lilia's mom."  
Jess flashed her badge again. "I was working undercover."

Ms Tilbury's glasses fell off her face again and she had to try several times to retrieve them. "My goodness … Lilia looks just like you."

Don grinned fondly. "Yeah, she does. Alright." He took Lilia's hand. "How about some ice cream?"

Lilia nodded with a smile that almost split her face in two. "Yes please."

* * *

By Lilia's bedtime, the three of them were curled up on the couch, when Lilia asked an important question. "Mommy, can I be a bridesmaid when you and Daddy get married?"

There was a pause in which Jess and Don just looked at each other.

"Well …" Jess began slowly "… if we get married, of course you can be a bridesmaid."

Lilia looked up at them, half on Don's lap, half on Jess's. "You are getting married, right?"

"I haven't asked your mother yet." Don told her gently.

"But you're going to." Lilia stated confidently. "You said 'yet'. You haven't asked her 'yet'. That means you're going to. Right, Dad?"

Don looked at Jess for some help, but she just smirked. "Go on, Dad, answer the question."

"Yes." Don answered simply. "Yes, I'm going to, Angel. In fact, I was going to two years ago but then someone got herself shot and missed dinner."

"Well, Mom's here now." Lilia pointed out, disentangling herself from her parents. "I'm going to get ready for bed."

"Good idea, Angel." Don agreed quietly, his eyes fixed on Jess's face.

"You know," Jess commented with a smile, "that was almost as subtle as you getting at Danny when Linds was expecting Lucy. You've corrupted my daughter."

"Our daughter." Don corrected with a grin. "And you don't know the half of it."

Jess gasped in mock horror. "Oh no! Don't tell me …"

"No child of mine is gonna support the Devils, Jess; I'm sorry." Don shrugged unapologetically. "That's just the way it is."

Jess shook her head with a fond chuckle. "I suppose I can deal with that. I … er … I don't suppose my parents gave you any trouble when you took her in?"

"No." Don admitted. "They were perfectly happy to let me take her … I got the impression …"

"They weren't happy when I didn't give her up for adoption." Jess sighed, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Lilia was safely in her room. "Thanks for not letting that happen by the way."

"Well, actually, it did happen." Don told her. "I adopted her."

Jess didn't bother hiding her surprise. "Really? I mean, I guessed that you must have fostered her to take her in, but …"

"We made it official." Don confirmed.

"But her name …" Jess began.

"Didn't want to take that away from you." Don murmured, kissing her softly.

Jess leaned against him. "I want us to change it. Lilia Evangeline Flack sounds better anyway and it won't sound quite so strange when you call her Angel."

"You plan on changing yours at the same time?" Don asked.

Jess tilted her head back to look at him. "Excuse me?"

Don slipped off the couch to kneel in front of her. "Jess, losing you nearly killed me, alright? There's another reason why I call Lilia 'Angel'; she saved my life, I honestly believe that. And I know you're gonna say it's too soon," he added as she opened her mouth, "and that we're not ready and that we should wait until you know I'm not doing this out of the adrenaline of getting you back. But I'm doing what I should have years ago. Look into my eyes and then tell me you can doubt how I feel about you."

"I can't." Jess whispered.

"I love you, Jess." Don said softly. "And I know you love me. If Lilia takes my name, then it's only fair you do too. We're already a family. So why don't we let everyone else know that as well?" He pulled something out of his pocket, the small box he'd kept in his bedside drawer since the day he'd lost her and that he'd grabbed that morning without her noticing. "Will you marry me?"

Jess didn't say anything for a few minutes, stunned into silence as she stared at the ring in his hand. She remembered seeing it in a jewellery store while they waited to speak to the owner, a witness in a homicide. But she didn't remember mentioning anything or pointing it out.

"I'm a detective, remember." He teased gently, seeing the question in her eyes. "Master of observation and all that. So what do you say?"

"Yes." Jess whispered, unable to form any other words. "Yes."

Don kissed her, slipping the ring onto her finger at the same time. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jess rested her forehead against his, smiling as a thought crossed her mind. "You think we should put her out of her misery?"

Don chuckled. "Alright." Standing up, he laced his fingers with hers and pulled her to her feet.

Lilia was already in bed, sitting up waiting for them. "Well?"

"Well what?" Don asked innocently.

"Da-ad!" Lilia whined. "That's not fair!"

Jess sat down on top of the covers. "I need a bridesmaid; you want the job?"

Lilia's squeal rivalled the one Lindsay gave when Jess appeared at the lab and she hurled herself into her mother's arms. "I knew it! I knew it!"

"Well, aren't you a clever one." Don teased, kissing her forehead. "Back into bed now, Angel. Bedtime."  
Lilia immediately turned to Jess. "Mom …"

"No." Jess shook her head. "Your dad's right."

With a sigh, Lilia settled back down under the covers. "Okay. Night."

"Goodnight." Both echoed, each leaning down separately to kiss her forehead.

Two hours later, they were in bed themselves. Don lay awake, Jess in his arms, sound asleep in one of his shirts, back where she belonged, but he couldn't seem to drift off.

In the darkness, his bedroom door opened and closed and he smiled inwardly, shifting over slightly to allow Lilia to climb in next to him.

Jess moved in her sleep, instinctively reaching out to grasp her hand, and Don wrapped an arm around Lilia's shoulders, knowing that his arms would most likely go dead during the night, but unable to care with his daughter curled up on one side and his fiancée on the other.

Don leaned down and kissed the top of Lilia's head. "Love you, Angel. Both of you." He added, feeling Jess smile against his chest despite being fast asleep.

"We love you too, Dad." Lilia whispered. "Happy Father's Day."

* * *

**AN: I don't know about you, but I couldn't quite catch the enormity of death when I was ten. And, as for dates, in this fic, Jess was shot in November (because that's when I saw Season 5, although I have yet to watch the finale); Father's Day is in June. So Lilia was eight in January-ish when she went to live with Don, nine for their first Father's Day and 10 for their second, which means that Jess had been dead/missing for about eighteen months. Please review!**


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